TWO MINUTES FOR THOUGHTS: DECEMBER 21ST, 2023
Dec 21, 2023Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, Wolf Pack fans! The club has one more game until the holiday break, which will see the Wolf Pack off for four days. Things calm down in terms of both travel and gameplay, as the club plays just three games over the next two weeks.
As we get ready for Christmas weekend, let’s deliver the gift of ten Wolf Pack thoughts for this week!
Onto the blog!
1.) The sea is never going to be smooth for 72 games. That’s the harsh reality of the AHL. The Hartford Wolf Pack are now navigating the choppy seas, having dropped each of their last three games. It’s the team’s first real ‘losing streak’ of the season.
The bad news? The club has lost three in a row and has let two third periods slip away in the process. The good news? The Wolf Pack still found a way to collect two points from their two losses over the weekend and all three losses came out of the division.
2.) It’s not as if the Wolf Pack have played bad hockey during this stretch either. They would be the first to tell you that they were outplayed by the Laval Rocket in their 5-1 loss on December 9th, but the last two games could have gone either way.
The Wolf Pack outshot both the Rochester Americans and Toronto Marlies last weekend, but just couldn’t get the victory over the finish line. Give credit to the Americans and Marlies, who both got great goaltending and timely scoring. Sometimes the puck doesn’t bounce your way, and it didn’t last weekend for the Wolf Pack.
3.) Last thing on last weekend. The process is still good for the Wolf Pack. There are some minor things they’ll want to clean up, but overall the club is still playing solid hockey. The powerplay and penalty kill have been major assets all season and will certainly rebound from the last three games. The penalty kill has already started that process thanks to a four-for-four day on Sunday.
The Wolf Pack are getting chances, and still carrying play for long stretches. They’ll get rewarded for their work again soon, just like they did at the start of the season.
4.) Adam Sýkora will not be an option for the Wolf Pack tomorrow night against the Islanders. Sýkora will miss the next handful of games as he competes in the 2024 World Junior Championship with Team Slovakia. It’s an exciting opportunity for a young player who has had a strong start to his AHL career.
5.) Sýkora is the only Wolf Pack player being loaned to play in the World Junior Championship, but he is not the only Rangers prospect playing in the event. Forward Gabriel Perreault and defenseman Drew Fortescue will both represent Team USA at the event, which starts on December 26th.
6.) What a crazy weekend it was for Wolf Pack forward Adam Edström. Edström was recalled on Friday morning by the Rangers. He then took warmups before their game against the Anaheim Ducks, unsure if he would be in the lineup that night.
Sure enough, Edström was called upon to make his NHL debut at Madison Square Garden. Late in the game, Edström enjoyed the moment of a lifetime as he notched his first career NHL goal in the team’s 5-1 victory.
7.) Although Edström did not play in Boston against the Bruins on Saturday night, he did get the honor of taking his ‘rookie lap’ prior to warmups. Following the club’s 2-1 overtime victory against the Bruins, Edström was assigned to Hartford.
He was in the lineup on Sunday afternoon against the Marlies and scored a goal at 17:50 of the second period that gave the Wolf Pack a 3-2 lead at the time.
A busy three days? That would be an understatement for Edström.
8.) Edström became the first Wolf Pack player to make his NHL debut with the Rangers this season. He also became the fourth Wolf Pack player to play a game with the Rangers, joining Jonny Brodzinski, Riley Nash, and Louis Domingue.
Edström is also the second player this season to score a goal for both the Rangers and the Wolf Pack, joining Brodzinski.
9.) The ‘Battle of Connecticut’ is going to take centerstage for the Wolf Pack over the next 13 days. After meeting just once through the first ten weeks of the regular season, the rivals will meet three times in just 13 days. For the Wolf Pack, the Islanders will be the opponent in three of their next four outings.
The good news for the Wolf Pack is that they have controlled this head-to-head matchup. The Wolf Pack have won each of their last six meetings with the Islanders.
10.) I just wanted to use the last ‘thought’ to say thank you to the fans who brought a gift to the home games on December 15th and 17th. The collected toys were donated to both ‘Toys for Tots’ and the Connecticut Children’s Hospital.
A big thank you also goes out to the significant others of Wolf Pack players who took the time out of their busy holiday schedule to help collect the toys behind section 101 on both nights.
Lastly, thank you to Louis Domingue, Dylan Garand, Riley Nash, Brett Berard, Bobby Trivigno, and Jake Leschyshyn for taking the time on Wednesday to help deliver the toys to kids at Connecticut Children’s Hospital.
Some events are bigger than hockey, and this was certainly one of them.
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ABOUT THE HARTFORD WOLF PACK: The Hartford Wolf Pack has been a premier franchise in the American Hockey League since the team’s inception in 1997. The Wolf Pack are the top player-development affiliate of the NHL's New York Rangers and play at the XL Center. The Wolf Pack has been home to some of the Rangers newest faces including Igor Shesterkin, Filip Chytil, and Ryan Lindgren. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.